Of Brown Paper Packages Tied Up With String
by ITell
Summary: Things that make our characters happy. Each chapter is a different character. Starts with John Watson and ends with Sherlock Holmes. Dedicated to Mattsloved1 for her birthday! Rated T because I'm paranoid.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Sherlock, despite recent controversy that I do. Controversy which is totally imagined, of course.**

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**A Condensed List of Things That Make Dr. John H. Watson happy.**

**1. **Beer. John Watson loves beer, (though admittedly not as much as his sister loves beer.) One pint per body part found in the fridge is an effective coping mechanism, John has discovered, against the sheer ordeal that is living with Sherlock Holmes. John also loves that Sherlock hates beer.

**2. **Sherlock's eyes. (No, he's not gay - oh why does he even bother trying to convince people anymore.) More accurately, trying to figure out the colour of Sherlock's eyes. They frequently change colour, just when John's got it pinned down to blue, they change to green - as if they have a life of their own, in which the purpose of said life is to mock John repeatedly with their elusiveness. Nevertheless, John enjoys the challenge.

**3. **Romance stories. Not erotic. Preferably historical, though. John doesn't like to read novels about war or crime - they remind him too much about real life. John enjoys going into second hand bookstores and finding haggard hardbacks that survived WWII, with their broken spines, burning paper smell and titles that are peeling off. The early twentieth century - in John's mind was _the_ era of literary romance. But if you tell anyone at New Scotland Yard that, he will find you, and he will set Sherlock loose on you.

**4. **Mycroft's umbrella tie. John wouldn't like to wear it, he just finds it cute. Also, more proof that The British Government has an unhealthy relationship with his umbrella.

**5. **Sarah's lie-low. John both loves and hates the lie-low. He loves it in comparison to the sofa, but hates it because really he just wants to sleep in Sarah's bed. It makes him happy that he has a lady friend who can tolerate Sherlock, and understand that Sherlock is the biggest thing in his life now. Still though . . .

**6. **Italian food. John loves Italian food, in all it's carbohydratey goodness. Brilliant after a night of criminal chasing, Sherlock deduction praising and case solving. The first post-case meal for John (and probably for Sherlock, John thinks,) is always the best; and nearly always Italian.

**7. **Sherlock's exasperation about 'The Hat.' (In John's mind it _does _need the capitals.) Seeing a fully grown man have a tantrum over a photograph of himself wearing a funny hat is hilarious. Until said fully grown man decides to burn the hat, along with several of John's possesions, unfortunately.

**8. **Anderson's indignation. John will never admit it, but whenever Sherlock puts that weasel of a man back in his place he really has trouble holding back a laugh; and so does half of New Scotland Yard, by John's observation.

**9. **Dogs. John has always loved dogs. Moreso after his experiences as a patient in the medical wing at his assigned base in Afghanistan. There was an old bomb dog that was too old for service, but no-one had the heart to put it down. It would lay with the wounded soldiers, always until their death. It would patrol the wards freely; most of the wounded feared his arrival like they feared the Grim Reaper, some greeted him like an old friend, too close to death to care. John was with the latter. It visited John every evening and lay with him until he fell asleep. John thought every night that that would be his last, every morning he woke up. John will always love dogs.

**10. **Sex. Of course it makes him happy - but don't expect him to tell Sherlock why.

**11. **Lestrade's voice. (No really, he isn't gay - can't a man appreciate a beautiful voice . . . seriously, why _does_ he even bother anymore?) Lestrade's voice, John realised one drunken night, is actually kind of hypnotizing. It's gravelly and smooth all at once. Like a cocktail with a lot of kick. He will never tell Lestrade this though.

**12. **Using chip and pin machines without incident. Nothing says 'It's going to be a good day' better than paying for the shopping without causing a scene. Need more be said?

**13. **Christmas. The lights . . . the festivity . . . the community spirit . . . Sherlock taking a day off and actually trying to be _nice _to people - this was actually Sherlock's present to him, John was told.

**14. **Sherlock when he is off the clock. Chatting with Mrs. Hudson, eating what John puts in front of him - and being polite about it, Sherlock talking passionately about anything that isn't Work related - from bees to Stradivarius violins. Nothing made John happier than when he realised that Sherlock was lying about being a sociopath.

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**A/N: **Happy Birthday **Mattsloved1, **hope you have a good one!


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